Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes released internal polling that places him ahead of other potential candidates for the attorney general’s office on Thursday. Reyes is widely expected to announce a reelection bid to face possible challengers state Sen. Dan McCay and former GOP state chair Derek Brown.
The poll was provided to the Deseret News by the Reyes campaign. It shows he is polling ahead of his potential Republican challengers, but his legal and legislative troubles could still spell trouble for a 2024 bid.
The poll, conducted by Lighthouse Research, asked 412 Utah Republicans who are likely to vote whether they would support Reyes for state attorney general or either of his two potential challengers — Utah state Sen. Dan McCay, R-Riverton, or former Utah GOP party chair Derek Brown — in a 2024 match-up. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
The poll showed Reyes ahead of McCay 39% to 18%, with 42% saying they don’t know. Against Brown, Reyes was ahead 40% to 18% with 41% saying they don’t know. And in a three-way matchup, Reyes was at 37% with Brown at 8% and McCay at 6%, while 38% said they don’t know and 10% chose “other.”
While Reyes has much higher name recognition than Brown or McCay according to the poll, he also has higher unfavorables — with 1 in 4 Utah Republicans saying they have a very or somewhat negative view of Reyes. Another 20% said they were “neutral,” while 44% said they had a positive or somewhat positive impression of him.
Only 4% of voters said they had a negative impression of McCay, 1% said that of Brown.
When asked for a response to the poll, Brown sent an earlier statement from former Gov. Gary Herbert, who said, “As Chair of the @derekbrownutah Attorney General exploratory committee, I’ve spoken with countless community leaders. The support has been overwhelming. With this support, the committee will be making an exciting announcement during the coming week. Stay tuned... .”
McCay told the Deseret News he’s “looking at the race. Advisers around me are encouraging me to get involved.” He said whether Reyes is running for reelection “is certainly one of the factors to consider.”
McCay said Reyes’ poll results show “there’s a lot of folks that don’t know who they’re voting for.”
“For a couple of guys who have almost little to no name ID in the state of Utah, I’d say starting at an 18% base is not a bad place for an unknown candidate to be,” he said of himself and Brown.
Reyes is chairman of the Republican Attorneys General Association, and said he has “large commitments” on donations for a potential reelection bid should Reyes choose to run again. Alan Crooks, a Reyes campaign spokesman, said he was “more than confident after seeing these numbers that (Reyes) is well positioned for reelection bid.”
But even as he enjoys higher poll numbers than his potential rivals, Reyes faces scrutiny over his connections to Tim Ballard, the former head of anti-trafficking group Operation Underground Railroad, who has been sued by several former associates for alleged sexual harassment and sexual assault.
Reyes is also the subject of a complaint filed in Salt Lake’s 3rd District Court last month by the same women who’ve accused Ballard. They say he was guilty of possible witness tampering and that his actions impeded an investigation into OUR, an allegation he called “false,” “defamatory,” and “unethical as they are based on pure speculation and have no basis in fact.”
Last month, a bipartisan group of Utah lawmakers voted to launch an internal audit of the Attorney General’s office, including taking a look at Reyes’ relationship with Ballard and whether that affected his work as the top law enforcement officer.
Also, during the 2024 Legislature that begins meeting next month, lawmakers are expected to consider a proposal that the attorney general be appointed rather than elected.
The state senator, who is not up for reelection next year, said between now and the early January filing deadline, he will be “having those key conversations and start fundraising if that’s a race we’re going to do.”
In response to legislative proposals about appointing the attorney general, McCay said there’s a reason voters choose who fills the post.
That’s “to have the people’s voice represented in a legal capacity at the state level. And if we’re asking that question, then maybe we’re asking ourselves, ‘Are we getting that done, or are we not,’” he said, calling what he described as the lack of progress on the use of federal lands “a great example.”
McCay later added in a statement, “Public trust in elected office is paramount. I appreciate Sean’s cooperation with the legislative efforts being made to restore faith in the Attorney General’s Office. I do not believe the solution is to elect a lobbyist as our state’s top legal officer.”
Contributing: Lisa Riley Roche